Capture Umatic to PC help

1940 wrote on 8/13/2018, 12:06 AM

HI,

I have some Umatic tapes I need to digitise and would like to know the best way to keep whatever quality is left in the tapes.

The Umatic has 1 BNC for video out and 2 RCA for audio.

The Surface Pro 3 PC has USB 2 and a Display Port. (Win 10 1803)

I have seen small transfer gizmos with RCA to USB but not sure whether they are any good.

I figure if I can get the BNC Video on the Umatic to the Surface USB, how do I get sound there as well?

Could I also use the Umatic Audio RCA to a USB port on a USB Hub?

Or maybe better ways.

Bottom line is to get the content onto the PC.

Would appreciate any help.

Thanks

Comments

emmrecs wrote on 8/18/2018, 4:16 AM

Hi.

Oh what a big question! (And one without an "easy" answer!)

I have seen small transfer gizmos with RCA to USB but not sure whether they are any good.

In my experience they are not really at all adequate for what you are wanting to do. Since your original tapes are Umatic this suggests a pretty high quality level; these "gizmos" will not transfer/digitise your footage at anything like that quality, they may even reduce the frame size and resolution of your original footage.

For successful digitisation of analogue tape you need to take a long, hard look at (potentially) quite expensive specialised hardware, such as that produced by GrassValley. I regularly digitise VHS footage; it is transferred to my computer via a GV ACEDVio (PCI) card; the card includes all the necessary input connectors, with the actual audio and video being derived from the SCART output of the VHS player.

Unfortunately, the fact that the video output from your Umatic machine is BNC will, I suspect, limit your range of options as to a suitable convertor. (Simply connecting the BNC Video to your SP is not going to work, I'm sure. Using that connection, there is nothing "in the line" that can convert the analogue output of the Umatic to the digital input the SP will expect.)

I had a very quick look at the GV site for a convertor that takes a BNC input and sends it to a USB output, and found nothing!

Could I also use the Umatic Audio RCA to a USB port on a USB Hub?

Afraid not! Again, that RCA audio output is analogue; USB input will expect digital.

Sorry to not be able to offer much, if any, really "useful" advice.

Jeff

johnebaker wrote on 8/18/2018, 4:59 AM

@1940 @1940

. . . . Since your original tapes are Umatic this suggests a pretty high quality level; these "gizmos" will not transfer/digitise your footage at anything like that quality,. . . .

Unfortunately not, the quality is less than that of DVD, somewhere in the region of 480 x 350 equivalent pixel resolution, so any decent* USB video to digital converter with composite and audio RCA connectors should be capable of handling the video, the BNC signal is standard composite output so you would also need a suitable BNC to RCA adapter.

* Some converters, usually cheap ones, have a second output lead with a 3.5mm stereo jack plug for using the computer audio card to do the audio record - these should be avoided - there should be only 1 USB lead out of the converter, audio conversion being done in the converter.

Once digitised the picture quality is going to be poor on a HD TV or computer.

The big question for me is - depending on their age - are the tapes still usable? Have they regularly been wound/rewound, kept in cool storage conditions.

HTH

John EB

1940 wrote on 8/28/2018, 6:59 PM

Hi,

I took one of the tapes to a pro transfer house and they baked the tape then transferred it. It is really good and I am hoping the other ones come out just as good.

I will try another separate tape myself using the BNC to RCA adapter to compare.